Surgical instrument



(No Model.) Q

' S. VAN B. BATES.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

No. 480,165. Patented Aug. 2, 1892.

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1 ins co.. wrnwmnm VIASNWQTKN n c UNITED STATES STERLING VAN BUREN BATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

OF CHARLESTON, TENNESSEE.

SURGICAL INSTRUMENT.

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, STERLING VAN BUREN BATES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Charleston, in the county of Bradley and State of Tennessee, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Surgical Instruments; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention has relation to improvements in surgical instruments; and it consists in the provision of an instrument especially adapted for taking up the skin immediately around a snake-bite or other affection and cutting off the flow of blood to and from the wound or aifection, whereby the poison or disease will be prevented from disseminating through the vascular system of the patient.

The invention further consists in the provision of such an instrument of an exceedingly-simple construction. adapted to be carried in the pocket and to be used by a person unskilled in surgery.

The novelty of my invention will be fully understood from the following description and claims when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a perspective view of my improved instrument ready for use. Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section of the same. Fig. 3 is a perspective View of one of the members.

Referring by letter to the said drawings, A A indicate the hand-levers of my improved instrument, which are pivotally connected adjacent to their forward ends by a pivot-bolt, as 2. These hand-levers A A, which may be formed of any suitable material, merge beyond their pivotal connection into the preferably oval or annular jaws B, which are designed when closed to rest in the same vertical plane by reason of the lever A being curved laterally, as illustrated, whereby it will be readily perceived that when said jaws are placed and pressed against the skin on opposite sides of the Wound and the handlevers are pressed together or brought into alignment with each other the skin will be Patent No. 480,165, dated August 2, 1892.

1. Serial No. 415.717. (No model.)

taken up and the vascular cells around the wound will be so choked or crushed that the dissemination of the poison through the system of the patient will be prevented. The inside of the respective jaws B are dished or beveled at b, as illustrated in Fig. 3 of the drawings, whereby when the jaws are brought together upon the skin surrounding a wound a seat or pocket will be afforded for the skin and flesh raised by the jaws, and unnecessary injury to said skin and flesh will thus be avoided.

At a suitable point between the fulcrum or pivot point and the free ends of the hand-levers A A the contiguous edges of said levers are corrugated or roughened, as illustrated at 0, so that when the levers are brought together they will be held in such position and will hold the jaws in position upon the skin around the wound until the arrival of a physician or remedy.

In operation as quickly as possible after the wound is inflicted the jaws B are placed and pressed against the skin on opposite sides of the wound and the hand-levers are pressed together or brought into alignment with each other, when they are held through the medium of the corrugation, ring, or other suitable means until the arrival of a physician.

By clamping the jaws B upon the skin and flesh, as before described, it will be readily perceived that not only will the vascular cells be choked or crushed, but the nervous sensation of the affected part will be broken.

Although I have specifically described the construction and relative arrangement of the several elements of my improved instrument, yet I do not desire to be confined to the same, as such changes or modifications may be made as fairly fall within the scope of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a surgical instrument, substantially as described, the combination of the handlevers pivotally connected together and having their contiguous edges corrugated or roughened and the jaws formed integral with said hand-levers in advance of the pivotal connection thereof and having their inner having their inner sides dished or beveled, sides dished or beveled, substantially as set substantially as and for the purpose set forth. 1o

forth. In testimony whereof I affix my signature in 2. In a surgical instrument, substantially presence of two witnesses. 5 as described, the combination of the hancl- STERLING VAN BUREN BATES.

levers pivotally connected together and the \Vitnesses: jaws formed integral with said hand-levers in D. S. BOWMAN,

advance of the pivotal connection thereof and JOHN C. KAYLER. 

